Newport Herring

[Sublime]

We've been doing well jigging for herring the last few days by the coast guard station in newport. I've heard that the best way to get herring for cut-plug is to brine them RIGHT when they are pulled up.

With a 50 gal cooler in the boat, what's the easiest way to do this? anyone know the best way to brine herring for use later?

thanks for any input.

Sublime

[Fish_N_Russ]

Are you on the dock there by the coast guard station, or out in a boat?

[corrirod]

Sublime, try doing a search. I know this was a huge topic back in December or January on this board and the Community board.

[Orca]

Do a search of last year using "herring" and only searching the post title. You will find lots of info.

[Pilar]

Sublime, I can share a method taught to me by the master of the Swordboat, Julie Rose III.

Use a clean 5 gallon bucket. Add 3 inches of water and as much rocksalt as will dissolve. As you catch the herring drop them in the bucket where they will quickly die. Try not to touch them as this removes scales. Grab the jig hook with pliers and shake the baits into the bucket without touching them. When you move to reset for another drift transfer the baits to a small cooler. Reuse the water for the next crop of baits. Add more rocksalt and some shaved ice on top of each layer of baits in the cooler.

On my boat the 'cooler' is a built in baitbox with a drain in the bottom of it. I think you could use an inexpensive cooler and put a drain hole in it or a larger one and leave the drain open.

When I am done for the day I add more rocksalt and ice on top. The next day for fishing the baits are prime. Still blue green on the backs, shiny on the sides and firm and cold. If you do not drain the water off they turn grey and get soft. If you get the ratio of salt and ice right they will actually start to freeze.

I must say that all the fishers, I shared this bait with did well.


Ask Mr. Fisherman about this. We gave him our bait after we tagged out on Friday and shortly afterward he started catching fish. The master of the Julie Rose III told me that this bait outperformed all others on his boat by a wide margin. Remember he bagged a 90 pound fish on Friday. One of my crew (Skein) bagged a 78 pound fish the next day on PILAR.

If you are using them much later roll them in a ziplock bag with some rocksalt and freeze them.

[wak'm&stak'm]

I and the Grandson were jigging today and I always put 2 sacks of ice in a cooler and a quart of rock salt....they feeze quickly and every scale is in place. Then I freeze them in ziplocs and put the same slimy salt brine in to push the air out.
We have had good sucsess this way and we plug cut them all summer.

There are still a lot of herring in the bay...